Public Works Committee Delays Vote on State Police License Plate Cameras Amid Privacy Concerns

Will County Public Works & Transportation Committee Meeting | January 6, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Board Public Works & Transportation Committee voted to postpone a decision on an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Police (ISP) regarding the installation of license plate reading cameras. Committee members cited concerns regarding data retention policies and the potential for privacy infringement.

License Plate Reader Discussion Key Points:

• Proposed Location: The ISP proposed installing six cameras (three northbound, three southbound) at the intersection of I-55 and Weber Road.

• Data Retention Concern: Members questioned the policy of retaining data on “non-hit” vehicles (law-abiding drivers) for 90 days.

• Vendor Clarification: ISP Master Sergeant Samberg clarified that these are Motorola/Vigilant cameras, not Flock Safety cameras, and the data is owned by the ISP.

• Outcome: The committee voted to postpone the resolution for one month to seek further clarification on data privacy policies.

The Will County Board Public Works & Transportation Committee on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, voted to postpone an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Police (ISP) that would allow the installation of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) on county rights-of-way.

The proposed agreement would authorize the ISP to install six cameras at the intersection of I-55 and Weber Road. According to ISP Master Sergeant Samberg, the cameras are intended to target forcible felonies such as hijackings, homicides, shootings, kidnappings, and human trafficking, rather than petty offenses like speeding.

“We have gone down 80% in our crime in just Illinois alone after the cameras have been installed since 2021,” Samberg told the committee.

However, several board members expressed strong reservations regarding the privacy of residents and the retention of data collected from drivers not suspected of any crime.

Committee Member Kelly Hickey (D-Naperville) questioned the ISP’s policy regarding “non-hit” data—license plate scans of vehicles not linked to any warrant or investigation. While the agreement allows data to be held for 120 days, the ISP currently purges data after 90 days. Hickey argued this period is too long for data on innocent drivers.

“When we’re talking about cars that have not been targeted as interest… those are held for the same 90 days,” Hickey said. “It seems to be an unreasonable search.”

Member Steve Balich (R-Homer Glen) also voiced opposition, stating that while he supports law enforcement, he does not trust government tracking of law-abiding citizens.

“I don’t want the government to track me when I come here and I leave here so they know what route I travel,” Balich said. “To me, that’s an invasion on my privacy.”

Samberg clarified that unlike many municipal systems that use Flock Safety cameras, the ISP uses Motorola cameras and maintains ownership of its own data. She stated the data is not shared with federal agencies like Homeland Security for immigration enforcement, but is shared with agencies like the ATF or DEA for specific investigations.

Despite the clarifications, the committee voted to postpone the resolution for one month to allow members to seek further answers regarding data retention policies and potential legislative advocacy to reduce the storage time for non-hit data.